Textile machine



Dec. 29, 1959 H. H. WORMSER TEXTILE MACHINE Filed April 19, 1957 IN V ENTOR. HA N 5 H. WORMSER ATITORNEY United States Patent TEXTILE MACHINEHans H. Wormser, East Greenwich, R.I., 'assignor to liniversal WindingCompany, Cranston, R.I., a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationApril 19, 1957, Serial No. 653,973

5 Claims. (Cl. 57--35) The present invention relates to an apparatus fortreating'a strand of yarn and more particularly relates to amulti-purpose apparatus for imparting crimp to a strand of yarn.

Since the advent of synthetic yarns, many processes and mechanisms havebeen developed for imparting varying degrees of crimp to the syntheticfibers in attempts to alter their feel and appearance to more nearlyresemble wool, to enhance their bulk, to increase their heat insulatingproperties and to augment their stretch or resilience. The moresuccessful of these prior art methods and mechanisms have broadlyinvolved the steps of twisting the yarn, setting the twist in the yarn,and untwisting the yarn. These steps have been performed in variousways' with varying degrees of success. The most successful approach tothe problem from a commercial point of view has been to'highly twist theyarn on twisting ma chines of the type known as uptwisters. The packagesof:twisted yarn are then removed from the twisting machineand the twistset by subjecting the packages of twisted'yarn to a moist or humidatmosphere at relatively high temperatures. Following twist setting, theyarn is rewoundonto uptwister bobbins which are placed on 'uptwisters'and all or substantially all of the twist removed. This process hasproduced very good results and has achieved considerable commercialsuccess when employed in connection with thermoplastic yarns as, forexample, linear superpolyamides of the typeknown as nylon. Whileproducing satisfactory yarn, it is extremely costly because of thelength of time involved, the number oftimes the yarn must be'handled inthe course of the various steps and the large amount of machinery thatmust be devoted to the work in order to obtain yarn in marketablequantities.

In order to overcome these disadvantages many attempts have been made toperform the twistings, twist settingand untwisting operations as acontinuous process by employing a false twister. In general, acontinuous process of this type involves the steps of wetting the yarn,

passing the yarn through a heating zone and then to 'a' false'twistingdevice while carefully controlling the tension therein, and finallycollecting the yarn in a suitable package. Early efforts along this linecontemplated the use of a steam chamber as the heating zone in orderthat the process might be as analogous as possible to the early noncontinuous procedure. There are, however, obvious difficulties insupplying steam to a multi-position twisting frame and, moreover, asgreater rates of production were sought, the need for a more intensesource of heat becaine apparent. Accordingly, -more recently the use ofan electrically heated block-like metallic member has been suggested.-

Experimentation with these so-called heater blocks has ledto a divisionof opinion among those skilled in the art as to how they might be bestemployed for heating the yarn. Theyarn can be passed across the face oftheheater in direct contact therewith and those who favor contactheating point out that better heat trans- 2,918,778 Patented Dec. 29,1959 fer results, permitting a higher rate of production with lessconsumption of electrical energy. On the other hand, the yarn can bepassed in slightly spaced relation ship with the face of the heater,being heated by radiation, and proponents of the radiant methodemphasize that there is less likelihood of damage or discoloration ofthe yarns, resulting in a cleaner, whiter product. In addition, thereare some who believe that the texture of yarn set by radiation isdifferent from that set by contact.

This division of opinion is something of a problem to the manufacturerof uptwister frames modified for the crimping of yarn since he must beable to supply frames adapted for both types of heating. Further, a millhav-- ing frames of one type may desire to convert to the other due tochanges in policy or supervisory personnel,

and different customers of a single mill may demand I yarn processedaccording to their particular preference. The need for a machine that isreadily and quickly convertible from radiant to contact heating andvice" versa will be quite apparent.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to providean apparatus for continuously crimping yarn that is interchangeable witha minimum of effort I from contact to radiant heating and vice versa.

A further object is an apparatus of the type described having amultiplicity of positions in which all of the positions may be convertedfrom one type of heating' to the other by a single operation.

An additional object is a heater member so designed as to be equallyadapted for either radiant or contactheating.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description of oneform of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention taken incon junction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig.1 is a front elevation of a portion of an apparatus embodying thepresent invention, omitting unessential supporting components;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partial in section, corresponding to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, in side elevation, of

the heater member and associated yarn guides of Fig. 2;

and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along lines IV-IVof Fig. 1.

In general terms the apparatus of the present inventiori is adapted todraw a strand of thermoplastic yarn from a source of supply, wet saidyarn with water, aliquid including water, or other suitable fluid, passthe strand of yarn to a heating zone and a false twist spindle whichhighly twists said strand over a predeter-'- mined length thereof, thetwist being set by the heating zone, and collect the yarn in a suitablepackage. heat applied to the wet twisted yarn in the heating zonepreferably is sufiicient to at least partially plasticize the yarn andto convert the liquid carried thereby to vapor to thereby set the twisttherein. After the twist has'been set, the twisted strand passes througha zone tive position, wherein the roller is engaged with a driv ing=mechanism therefor and partly immersed in a yarn Q Wetting liquid, to aninoperative position, wherein the roller is disengaged from its drivingmechanism, out of said liquid, and accessible for a manual threadingoperation.

Reference is now made to the drawing wherein a. preferred embodiment ofthe apparatus of the present invention is disclosed. As shown in Fig. l,the apparatus preferably includes a plurality of substantially identicalunits mounted side by side on an elongated base or frame, all beingoperated by a single common. source of power. Inasmuch as the gangmounting of textile machines is well known in the art and the units inthe gang are substantially identical, only one unit of the apparatuswill be explained in detail together with such other details as arenecessary to a complete understanding of the invention.

A longitudinal support or shelf is carried by vertically extending framemembers (not shown) and serves as a support or creel for the supplypackages.

12 and 13 of thermoplastic yarn which is to be crimped.

by the apparatus. Support It} is provided with a plurality of pins 11 toposition and hold packages 12 and 13 in predetermined locations thereon.Pins 11 are preferably arranged in two substantially parallel rows withthe pins in said rows and the associated packages staggered with respectto one another in order to conserve space. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2,the packages 12 form a back row and the packages 13 form a front row.Inasmuch as false twist spindles are used to impart twist temporarily tothe strands of yarn drawn from packages 12 and 13, the yarn beingtwisted does not ballloon to any appreciable extent, thus making itpossible to position the false twist spindles closely adjacent oneanother. By staggering the packages 12 and 13 as above described,packages of large diameter can be arranged in the same amount of space.

A longitudinal rail 14 forming a part of the framework of the machineand supported by vertical frame members (not shown) has a plurality ofyarn guide eyes 15 and 16 projecting forwardly therefrom. Guide eyes 15are located above supply packages 12 and guide eyes 16 project outwardlya greater distance from the rail so as to be located above supplypackages 13. Rail 14 also carries a generally U-shaped trough 17 whichextends the full length of the machine along a locus slightly to therear of supply packages 12. A shelflike bracket 18 projects forwardlyfrom trough 17 and is provided adjacent its front edge with a pluralityof yarn guide eyes 19, one for each supply package 12 or 13, and alignedtherewith. In back of each guide eye 19, bracket 18 carries a tensionapplying device 20 which preferably is of the disc type, old and wellknown in the art. To the rear of tension device 20 another yarn guide 21is provided to hold a running strand of yarn in the tension device.

A shaft 24 is disposed within the confines of trough 17 and is journaledfor rotation in any approximate manner. Suitable means, not shown, suchas a separate motor or a connection to the source of power driving themachine, are provided for rotating shaft 24. A gear '25, formed from anon-corrosive material, is fixedly secured to shaft 24 to one side ofthe vertical plane through each tension device 20 and its associated supply package. Fixedly secured to the frame of the machine along a locusspaced forwardly of trough 17 is a horizontal shaft 26 on which ispivotally mounted a plurality of bell-cranks 27, one for each supplypackage. Each bell-crank carries by means of a stub shaft 31 a yarn feedcylinder 28 and a gear 29 on its rear termination. Gear 29 is secured toone end of cylinder 28 so that the gear and cylinder rotate together asa unit. Both are preferably made from a noncorrosive material that willnot be affected by the particular yarn Wetting liquid contained intrough 17.

4 Each bell-crank 27 is so positioned along shaft 26 that when it ispivoted rearwardly to position cylinder 28 in trough 1'7, gear 29 willmesh with gear 25. The forwardly extending arm 32 of bell-crank lever 27functions as an operating handle by means of which cylinder 28 and gear2 can be pivoted rearwardly to enmesh the gears. Suitable stop means,not shown, can be provided to hold cylinder 28 in its forward position.If yarn is wrapped around cylinder 28, it will be obvious that whengears 25 and 29 are in mesh, rotation of shaft 24 will rotate cylinder28 to feed the yarn at a predetermined rate. Means operable to space thewraps of yarn on said cylinder may be supplied, if necessary.

A heating member 33 for the yarn from each supply package is fixedlysecured to a longitudinally extending bar 34 above and in generallyvertical alignment with cylinder 28. Heater 33 preferably takes the formof a metallic block having yarn guiding grooves 35 formed in the convexforwardly facing surface thereof. Heating member 33 can be heated in anyconvenient manner; however, it is preferred to embed therein anelectrical resistance heater, not shown, which is connected to a sourceof current by suitable leads, also not shown.

In accordance with the present invention, the bottom wall 36 of thegroove 35 is curved on a very large radius of curvature, except at theextreme ends which are rounded off, so that it departs from a straightline only length, as can be seen from Fig. 2.

ture is somewhat smaller than that of the groove bottom. The depth ofgroove 35, i.e., the distance between the face 37 of the heater blockand bottom wall 36, is

so selected that even when face 37 is arcuate, the path of the yarn maybe spaced from bottom wall 36, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 3, andstill lie intermediate bottom wall 36 and face 37 over almost the entireportion of such path that is coextensive with the heater. In otherwords, assuming that the radii of curvature of both bottom wall 36 andouter face 37 fall on a common line through the approximate midpoint ofheater 33, the normal curvature of face 37 should not intersect a linedrawn tangential to the wall 36 at such radius within the verticalconfines of the heater.

Located below each heater 33 is a yarn guide 41 and located above eachheater is a yarn guide 42, both guides being so arranged as to guide theyarn along a path spaced slightly outwardly from the outermostprojection of bottom wall 36. All of the lower guides 41 are carried bya common rail 43 while all of the upper guides 42 are carried by acommon rail 44. In turn, the rails 43 and 44 are mounted for limitedsliding movement laterally of the frame on fixed frame members 45 and46, respectively. To this end, as can be seen in Fig. 4, both rails areslotted as at 47 and a shoulder screw 48 is inserted through the slotand threaded into the frame member. The diameter of the shoulder screwis somewhat less than the vertical dimension of slot 47 to provideadequate clearance and the projection of the screw head is somewhatgreater than the thickness of the rail. A spring washer 50, having adished shape, for example, may be interposed between the head of screw47 and the outer face of the rail to eliminate wobbling. A greater areaof contact between the edge of the washer and the face of the rail canbe attained by placing a flat washer 51 therebetween. Frictionalresistance to the movement of the rails relative to the correspondingframe member can be reduced through the use of lubricants or other knownexpedients.

In order that rails 43 and 44 may move as a unit, they are connected attheir ends and other points, if desired, by a vertical member 53.Operating means are provided for readily shifting the rails laterally,which means may take the form of a hand lever 54 pivotally connectedtothe vertical member 53 by alink 55 one end of the lever beingpivotally mounted on a bracket 56 supported, in turn, from an end standor frame member 57 of the machine, only a fragment of which is shown inFig. 1. Movement of the rails to the extreme lateral positions permittedby the slots therein is insured by connecting an over-center spring 58to the lever. Such a'spring'may comprise anordinary coil spring havingone end fixed, as to a lug 59 supported by end strand 57, at a pointbelow and in vertical alignment with the pivotal axis of lever 54 andthe other end fixed to the lever above such axis. Since the spring willbe at maximum extension when'its point of connection with the lever isin vertical alignment with the pivotal axis and its point of connectionbelow such axis, it will tend to move out of such alignment-to aposition-of lesser extension ori' either side thereof as limited by theends of slots 47. Other operating means accomplishing the same resultcan'be employed.

A false twist spindle 62, driven by a belt 63, is attached above heater33 to a bed 64 which is supported by 'vertical frame me'r'n'bers (notshown). The spindle engagesthe strand of "yarn" beingprocessedand'impar'ts twist thereto along the portion of the length thereofextending down to cylinder 28.

Arranged above and somewhat to the rear of false twist spindle 62 is awinding or take-up unit adapted to collect the running strand of yarnafter it has left the spindle. As shown, two banks of winding units areprovided in the apparatus of the present invention, the units in thebanks being staggered for conservation of space. Each take-up unitcomprises a rotatable driving drum 65, 65a, and means for holding awinding package in contact therewith. Two rotatable horizontal shafts66, 66a, arranged in vertically spaced parallel relationship, arejournaled in frame members (not shown) above and to the rear of spindle62. The drums 65 and 65a are secured to shafts 66 and 66a, respectively,at spaced points along their lengths in alignment with supply packages12, 13 and the twisting and twist setting mechanisms associatedtherewith. Reciprocating traverse bars 67 and 67a are located in frontof each set of drums 65, 65a and each traverse bar carries a pluralityof yarn guides 68 adapted to traverse the running strand of yarn onto awinding package, all in the manner well known in the art. A spool 69 ispositioned above each of the drums 65, 65a so that its barrel, or theyarn wound thereon, contacts the periphery of the corresponding drivingroller to rotate said spool and thereby wind the strand of yarn thereon.Any convenient means, for example slotted fingers 70, may be employed tohold spools 69 in position above said driving rollers.

The above-described apparatus is threaded for contact heating in thefollowing manner: First, operating lever 54 is moved to the left in Fig.1 to the dotted line position, shifting the guides 41, 42 out ofalignment with the path of the yarn. Strand of yarn Y is drawn from eachpackage 12, 13 and is threaded through the appropriate yarn guide eye15, 16. Strand Y is next inserted through guide eye 19, throughtensioning device 20, and then through yarn guide 21. The forwardlyextending end 32 of bell-crank lever 27 is depressed to swing cylinder28 out of trough 17 to an accessible position above tension bracket 18.Strand Y is then wrapped several times around cylinder 28. Next it isdrawn upwardly in front of heater 33, through false twist spindle 62,over traverse guide 68 and finally attached to take-up spool 69. Spool69 is placed in contact with the corresponding drum 65, 65a andbell-crank lever 27 is lifted to swing cylinder 28 downwardly andrearwardly into trough 17 to mesh gears 25 and 29 to thereby rotate saidcylinder. The rearward movement of cylinder 28 lays strand Y in thegroove 35 in heater 33 and rotation of the cylinder withdraws the strandfrom its supply package and feeds it towards heater 33, spindle 62 andtake-up-spool-69. Rotation of spindle 62 inserts twist of one directionin'the portion of strand Y between the spindleand feed cylinder 28,and'inasmuch as that por tion extends past heater 33 and in contacttherewith, the j a twist isset in the yarn. I is such that the strand Yis' heated to a temperature The temperature of heater 33 Y to cool belowits plastic temperature before leaving said spindle.

When the yarn is to be heated by radiation, lever 54 is pivoted to theright in Fig. l, shifting the rails 43,-

44 likewise to the right, and placing guides 41, 42 in verticalalignment with the path of yarn at each position of the frame. Thethreading operation is the same as that previously described, exceptthat the yarn is inserted through guides 41 and 42,'respectively, beforeand I The after being threaded through false twist spindle 62. guidesare now operative to maintain the yarn slightly spaced away from-thebottom wall 36 of' groove 35. While heating by radiation, thetemperature of the heater block may be slightly higher than when contactheating is employed.

Trough 17 is filled with a supply of water or any other desired fluid toa level above the lowermost part of cylinder 28 so that strand Y isthoroughly wetted prior to coming into the region of heater 33. As thewet yarn passes heater 33, the moisture carried thereby is vaporized toprovide a high temperature vapor which in many instances assists insetting the twist in strand Y.

It will be obvious that feed cylinder 28 can be driven at differentspeeds. Therefore, it is possible to feed yarn into the zone betweenspindle 62 and cylinder 28 at a higher speed than it is being wound bytake-up spool 69, to permit the strand to shrink as it passes overheater 33. Alternatively, the strand can be fed into that zone at aspeed lower than the speed at which it is wound, whereupon it isstretched while it is in the plastic state, or it can be fed to the zoneat a speed equal to its Winding speed so that it is neither stretchednor shrunk.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention herein involved, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dual purpose apparatus for crimping continuous filaments ofthermoplastic material comprising a source of yarn, a false twistingspindle, means for feeding yarn from said source through said spindle toimpart false twist to said yarn, a metallic heating member having agenerally U-shaped groove therein to receive said yarn, said heatingmeans being arranged to heat said yarn while it is in twisted conditionbefore passage through said spindle, electrical means for heating saidmember, movable guide means disposed on each side of the heater forguiding the yarn in the region of said heater along a path spacedslightly from the walls of said groove and in alignment with thelongitudinal axis of the groove, said guide means being movable fromsaid guiding position to inoperative position out of alignment with thegroove axis, said yarn being in direct contact with said groove whensaid guide means are in inoperative position, and means for moving saidguide means from operative to inoperative position and vice versa,whereby said apparatus is adapted to heat the yarn either by directcontact or by radiation.

2. A dual-purpose apparatus for crimping continuous filaments ofthermoplastic yarn comprising a source of yarn, a metallic yarn heatingmember having a U-shaped longitudinal groove through which yarn fromsaid source is adapted to be passed, a false twister spindle adapted toinsert twist in said yarn while it is being heated by said heatingmember, yarn take-up means for withdrawing yarn from said source andpassing it through the groove of the heater in contact therewith andthrough the false twist spindle, and a guide selectively interposable ateach end of said groove to maintain said yarn spaced from but within thewalls of the groove as it passes the heater.

3. A convertible apparatus for crimping a plurality of ends ofthermoplastic yarn comprising a source for each end of yarn; a metallicheating member for each end, said member having a U-shaped longitudinalgroove therein through which the end is adapted to be passed; a pair ofguides for each heating member, one at each end of the groove therein,said guides being movable to and from one position at which the endcontacts at least one wall of the groove from and to another position atwhich said end is maintained slightly out of contact with the groovewalls but still generally within the confines of said groove; operatingmeans common to all of said guides whereby they are moved simultaneouslyfrom one 8 position to the other; a false twister spindle for each end,which spindle is adapted to insert twist in said end while it is beingheated; and take-up means for collecting the end after passage throughsaid spindle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including a movable support common to all ofthe corresponding guides of each pair, said support being movable in onedirection to move the guides to one position and in the other directionto move the guides to the other position, stop means contacted by saidsupport upon movement in either direction when the guides are in thecorresponding position, and spring means biasing the support against thestop means in either direction.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said spring means comprises anover-center spring which changes the direction of its bias just afterpassage over dead-center.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

